My Toyota Landcruiser FJ40

This is a discussion on My Toyota Landcruiser FJ40 within 4x4 Vehicles, part of the 4x4 & Off-Roading category; Originally Posted by ferrariKSA
Hi
Trammway
After going through your thread i have realised how i abused my fj40. Though ...

Hi
Trammway
After going through your thread i have realised how i abused my fj40. Though there was always a guilt feeling when ever i came across a original example here in KSA. Seeing your passion i realised i made big mistake.

My cacha gifted me this fj when i passed my SSC and just joined college. This magnificantly maintained Fj40 1972(which i realised now) in Lemon yellow colour completly original only engine was of a DCM toyota one.
My ignorance and friends pressuring me to change the tyres to Ballon tyres(this is what we called radials) to give it that cool look,
Unable to find the 6 bolts wheels palnned to change the hub to 5 hole so that a sierra mag can be fitted. On finding a mechanic expert for jeeps adviced me to go for a mahindra housing and diff not knowing from where we can buy and how much it will cost. So depending completely upon him for the parts without much knowledge blindly paying him what he demanded.

Then the stripping process of fj and my wallet started.
Firstly removing the hard top for a soft one.

Then the steering wheel changed to cielo steering wheel for that had to chage the complete rod then the issue was will a manual steering support the radials thus change the comp steering assembly.

Got the doors cut to the height of rear fender. Thank fully didnt change the door handles as adviced by the denter and am glad still have the original.

Then came the gear box mech said for such engine there should be atleast 4 speed instead of 3 so got a mahindra 4 speed.

changed the seats to bucket seat.

There is alot more to write and am sorry to hijack trammway thead. When saw this restoration old memories came to my mind.

Good luck
Farooq

Hi Farooq,

Thats sad to know your FJ40 has been undergone so many changes. I don't think changing tyres are any wrong. But reading about the axles, hubs and gearbox etc... Hmmm kind of loosing Toyota quality for Mahindra product ? Nah!

Could you share us some of your FJ40 pictures? Where is your FJ40 now ?

You will be a very pleased man when this is done as there are not too many around specially in good conditions.

They last for ever.

Sure, I have already started collecting some essential parts for my FJ40 here, only thing need to find way to ship all of the vehicle parts I have collected in US to India. Let me see how it progress in the near future

The restoration was almost stopped for straight 18 months due to tinker's avoidance to attend the beauty. Finally self and Muthukumar decided to move the FJ40 to another tinker in Erode.

Prior to moving, the tinker procured what is called Japan sheet and cut some measurements to make some body parts. This work was repeated twice in the past 3 years as the very first sheet that we purchased was started showing symptoms of rust that suppose to be not happening on this type of sheet.

Since the work was stalled and we decided to move to another garage all the parts, pieces of my FJ40 were loaded into a Tata 407 truck and the rolling chassis was towed to Erode.

Here are the last pictures in Coimbatore(30th September 2012) for my FJ40

One thing for sure there is no way remotely managing a restoration in a efficient way, now after loosing 2 years of time at least I witnessed a greater progress (though it is slower than the normal when you directly involve) in the recent past.

As you all could see from the pictures, the platform has been fixed, front half has been fixed except that the bonnet still needs to be corrected to match original specs on the front side.

The hard top wall has been fixed, again the original specs to have 2 side window splits and one corner glass but I'm thinking of leaving the large single window on the side wall to make it less crampy.

My tinker is currently working on the rear side outer body and the mudguard well. Since all the sheet work requires intensive human effort as there is no ready made hard pressed panels, the project is moving on a snail phase. In a month or two the tinker work will be completed and that will be the start of deploying the Toyota 14-B engine.

Nice to see the work have kick started again.
You have made a good decision to install the 14-B engine.
It is one the best engine availabe. Very durable and part easily availabe repraible anywhere and once done up properly no need to touch it for years.
Its been 14 years with it and it never let me down. A perfect combination of body and soul.